The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has officially retained 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2026/2027 academic session, following its national policy meeting held in Abuja.
The announcement was made during the annual admission policy meeting attended by vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, and other stakeholders in the education sector. According to the board, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education will maintain a minimum benchmark of 100, while colleges of nursing sciences will admit candidates from 150 upward.
JAMB also introduced major changes to the admission process. Candidates seeking admission into Education programmes and non-engineering Agriculture courses will no longer be required to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). However, affected candidates must still register with JAMB for proper screening and admission processing through CAPS.
In another important update, the Federal Ministry of Education reaffirmed that candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions must meet the approved minimum admission age. The policy is aimed at strengthening compliance with Nigeria’s education structure and admission standards.
The board further directed institutions to strictly comply with approved admission quotas and timelines. Public universities are expected to conclude admissions by October 2026, while polytechnics and colleges of education are expected to complete theirs before the end of the year. Candidates offered admission will also have limited time to accept their offers or risk losing them.
Meanwhile, JAMB disclosed that institutions remain free to set higher departmental cut-off marks depending on the competitiveness of courses and available admission spaces.
The latest developments are expected to shape the 2026 admission exercise across tertiary institutions in Nigeria as candidates prepare for Post-UTME screenings and admission processes nationwide.
